Smart meters

[dicko]

I'd love the ability to download the data, but not at the cost of the problems with them that I see being reported.

Why do you need a smart meter to tell you when the cheapest rate is?

Not really. Trying to compare individual appliance consumption with an electricity meter is highly misleading because it varies as the function of the appliances vary, and thermostats cycle etc. To measure something like a fridge or washing machine you would have to switch off every other appliance in the house for several hours whilst the one you're measuring completes a whole cycle. A plug-in monitor is far better for doing one appliance at a time.

Again, you can't get a meaningful answer like that either, for the same reason as above. The rating plate is just the peak power, not necessarily the mean power for a whole cycle of use.

View attachment 750345

I'd love the ability to download the data, but not at the cost of the problems with them that I see being reported.

Why do you need a smart meter to tell you when the cheapest rate is?

Not really. Trying to compare individual appliance consumption with an electricity meter is highly misleading because it varies as the function of the appliances vary, and thermostats cycle etc. To measure something like a fridge or washing machine you would have to switch off every other appliance in the house for several hours whilst the one you're measuring completes a whole cycle. A plug-in monitor is far better for doing one appliance at a time.

Again, you can't get a meaningful answer like that either, for the same reason as above. The rating plate is just the peak power, not necessarily the mean power for a whole cycle of use.

View attachment 750345

Why do you need a smart meter to tell you when the cheapest rate is?
You don’t but having a Smart Meter allows me to purchase super cheap electricity. If you didn’t have a Smart Meter you won’t get the cheap rates you will be on a Fixed Rate

 

[AndyRM]

You're expecting informative programming from Channel 5? Good luck with that.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

One of the advantages is that some companies allow you to get a discount/reward if you reduced usage for critical hours during the week
Basically they are giving you a reward if you divert some usage from a busy time on the network to a less busy time

but to do that they need to have a smart meter sending a reading every x minutes (30 I think??)

personally I cheat and charge the battery for the solar system before the monitoring period starts then allow it to discharge during the period

sounds like cheating but the idea is to divert power usage on the network - which this does

This seems to be getting more common

 

[oldwheels]

I seem to have no option but agree to have one fitted by OVO. This may not benefit them as I am currently on THTC and cannot change suppliers because they will not support it. Once a new meter is in I have more freedom of choice.
My son has one which is useless as there is no signal for it to connect to so they just send in readings from time to time.

 

[Drago]

You can lawfully refuse and they have to accommodate you.

In your situation oldwheels they'll fit you a smart meter but ifmyoy ask will leave it without the modem bit so its in dumb mode. All nice and modern and compliant. That's what they did for me at the old place.

Unless you want one, of course.

 

[Tenkaykev]

We're with Octopus and have one of their " Home Mini " data loggers that transmits the readings to an app on the phone in real time. Far more useful than the in home display which is sitting unused in a drawer.

One of the advantages is that some companies allow you to get a discount/reward if you reduced usage for critical hours during the week
Basically they are giving you a reward if you divert some usage from a busy time on the network to a less busy time

but to do that they need to have a smart meter sending a reading every x minutes (30 I think??)

personally I cheat and charge the battery for the solar system before the monitoring period starts then allow it to discharge during the period

sounds like cheating but the idea is to divert power usage on the network - which this does

This seems to be getting more common

They also do " free electricity " promotions when they know there's going to be excess energy going into the grid. Usually for a one hour period, you still pay for what your usual average consumption is, but anything in excess of that is free.

 

[presta]

I missed the second half of the program, having picked the TV up and chucked it through the lounge window after she explained that kettles use 3 kilowatts per hour.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I missed the second half of the program, having picked the TV up and chucked it through the lounge window after she explained that kettles use 3 kilowatts per hour.

I have heard worse
When I was an IT teacher - and helped the IT Technician a lot - in a large school I intercepted a group of Year 7 kids (11 years old ish) who were heading into my room "to switch off all the computers"
turns out that they were also going to unplug EVERYTHING from the wall sockets and switch the sockets off

turns out one of the Foreign Language teachers had been sent on and Energy Saving course (which a language teacher and not e.g. technology or Science is still a mystery)
one of the main things eh picked up from the course what that /every device uses the same current when in use or in standby
and still uses nearly all of it even if it is switched off but still plugged in
even if the switch on the wall is OFF!!!

FFS

it did explain the sudden massive rise in problem we were seeing in the computer systems around the whole school

apparently when she was challenged about ot by senior management - in the presense of the Head of Science - she was adament that if all the computers were unplugged then it would save the school hundreds of pound a week!!!
we bought a monitor and monitored a computer for a whole week - in use and then in standby overnight as usual
cost was naff all except when in full use during the day


she was not convinced

even intelligent can sometimes be astoundingly stupid regarding "techy stuff"

 

[sheddy]

Latest smart meter advice from the Eye

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Latest smart meter advice from the Eye

Alternatively
Get a Smart Meter
Install (plug in) the In Home Display

Watch it for 3 minutes
switch something on and watch it again

switch something else on

realise that 2 LED bulbs cost f*** all and a kettle is damn expensive but is only on for 2 minutes and is in any case essential (and NO we aqre not making tea in a microwave - we are not Americans!!!)

work out that the whole "save 7 million pounds a second with a Smart Meter" was a scam to get you to get the thing and allow the Utility companies to charge you for it
work out that in reality it is the Utility companies that benefit

go back to normal and occasionally glance at the display in a casual manner

carry on posting in the NACA thread

 

[presta]

They were on Panorama last night, and instead of just a whinge list they went a bit into the reasons why they're so much trouble. It seems there's a north/south divide, because they use the mobile phone network in the south but a long range dedicated radio network in the north, and the latter is a lot less reliable than the former.

They had a guy on from Glasgow who had had six new meters fitted before they finally solved the problem just by installing a cellphone meter instead of ones that use the other system that wasn't working. What an effin' waste of money! How much did that all cost?

I would:
1. Stop all new installations until the existing ones are fixed.
2. Measure the signal strength before fitting one.
3. Don't install one if there's not enough signal.
4. Use whichever system provides the best signal at the customer's premises.

It appears that HMG went against all the advice by making individual retailers responsible for installing them, instead of having one single organisation separately.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

It is easy to fix

firstly remove any stupid regulation such as ones saying that they have to use the radio signal ones in "The North" rather than the mobile phone ones - just use the one that works

But mostly - rather than giving the companies money for fitting new ones - change the "grant" tooperate on the number of ones that have actually working and sending data from both gas and electric

that would give them an incentive to fix the broken ones and not just throw new ones in and put all the resources into that even if a load don't work

At the end of the day the companies are there to make money - so if you throw money at them to do a specific thing then they will do that thing and not another thing

 

[Mo1959]

Touch wood, mine seems to be ok. Just got it installed last Monday. No choice really as, like oldwheels, I was also on the old THTC set up with storage heaters and hot water tank so when the BBC long wave signal is switched off next year, my heating and hot water might not have worked.

It seems to be working as it’s supposed to be and is switching my heaters and hot water on 3 times per day on Economy 10. My billing period is the 13th of the month so I will see tomorrow if they are charging me correctly.

 

[Emanresu]

We had a smart meter fitted just before our Tesla battery was installed. Our meter is set to read every 15 minutes. Between 2 and 5 am we charge the batterie at super cheap rates and we use this during the day. It is saving us £££s.

How are you finding this. It’s on my ‘possible’ list but not sure of the payback time. I might be dead before we see a profit. Would be interested to hear your experience.

 

[Drago]

Why do they still want tomdome and read a functioning smart meter? I know it's working just fine as I can see the data on the app.

They couldn't answer this simple question, so I hung up on them. After all, they could be anyone.